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For those who wish to convert the DVDs they own for the purpose of archiving their content, carrying it on a laptop, or making it compatible with a device such as an iPod, iPhone, or Apple TV, HandBrake is a godsend. It’s approachable enough for those new to DVD ripping, but has enough features for more-demanding users who want to tweak their videos to the nth degree. And who can argue with free?

Freemake Video Converter's biggest assets are that it's free and has a simple user interface and presets for many popular video formats. It's hard to complain about a free product that does so much, but a few more video formats and resolutions in future releases would make this app ideal. For most of us, what it's got will do for now.

If you're a pro who does lots of encoding, then Squeeze 8 is definitely worth the download. The ABR allows state-of-the-art performance from your video server, and output from either version is as good as it gets. Plus, I've only scratched the surface of the filters and other advanced features.

Nero's exceedingly powerful burning suite Nero Multimedia Suite 10 continues to offer innovations, like its MediaHub for organizing, editing, and playing content; but it continues to be slightly hampered by interface challenges.